Tool for wrapping and removing conductors from terminals

ABSTRACT

A HAND TOOL WITH AN ADJUSTABLE TUBULAR SHANK FOR WRAPPING ELECTRIC WIRE CONDUCTORS ONTO ELECTRIC TERMINALS INCLUDING AN ATTACHMENT FOR UNWRAPPING WIRE FROM THE TERMINALS. THE TOOL ALSO INCLUDES MEANS FOR FEEDING A WIRE CONDUCTOR THROUGH A TUBULAR SHANK AND HAND WRAPPING A CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF WIRE CONDUCTOR ON A SEQUENCE OF TERMINALS FOR ESTABLISHING A COMMON CIRCIT CONNECTION.

Dec. 7, 1971 5, KESTER 3,624,888

TOOL FOR WRAPPING AND REMOVING CONDUCTORS FROM TERMINALS Filed July 20,1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ARTHUR S. KESTER Dec. 7, 1971 5, TE 3,624,888

TOOL FOR WRAPPING AND REMOVING CONDUCTORS FROM TERMINALS Filed July 20, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet:

INVENTOR. I ARTHUR S. KESTER Dec. 7, 1971 5, T R

TOOL FOR WRAPPING AND REMOVING CONDUCTORS FROM TERMINALS Filed July 20,1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. ARTHUR S. KESTER United States Patent 3,624,888 TOOL FOR WRAPPING AND REMOVING CONDUCTORS FROM TERMINALS Arthur S. Kester, Chicago, Ill., assiguor to Rauland-Borg Corporation, Chicago, Ill. Filed July 20, 1970, Ser. No. 56,492 Int. Cl. H01r 43/04; Hk 13/00 U.S. Cl. 29-203 H 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hand tool with an adjustable tubular shank for wrapping electric wire conductors onto electric terminals including an attachment for unwrapping wire from the terminals. The tool also includes means for feeding a wire conductor through a tubular shank and hand wrapping a continuous length of wire conductor on a sequence of terminals for establishing a common circuit connection.

This invention relates in general to electric wire wrapping tools and more particularly to a hand tool for wrapping a conductor in tight relation to a terminal and further provision for wraping a continuous conductor on a plurality of terminals and including manually adjustable means for conditioning the tool to unwrap conductors from terminals.

Prior tools of this general character were limited to non-adjustable shanks which required tools of different lengths to appropriately reach terminals in different positions and the prior tools do not include means for continuously wrapping a single conductor on a multiple of spaced terminals and further, a separate rather complex costly tool was required for removing conductors wrapped around terminals.

The present invention overcomes the above objections and disadvantages by providing a relatively low cost hand tool with a shank capable of a wide range of axial adjustment and means for wrapping a continuous conductor around a plurality of terminals for forming a common circuit and the inclusion of a manually positioned means for removing a conductor Wrapped upon a terminal by a counter-rotation of the tool, which construction provides the principal object of the invention.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hand tool for wrapping a conductor on a terminal, which tool has a bore through the main shank for feeding a conductor therethrough and out of a slot in the shank and through a winding guide for guiding a single conductor into a tight Wind on each of a plurality of spaced terminals.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an auxiliary guide at the tip end of the tool for manually projecting an abutment therethrough slidably retained on the shank of the tool for engaging the portion of the wire wrapped on a terminal and unwinding the wire therefrom by a counter-rotation of the tool.

These and other objects and advantages in two embodiments of the invention are shown and described in the following specification and drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of the tool.

FIG. 2 is a front end view of the tool shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear end view of the tool shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the tool shown in FIG. 1 in changed position.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional side elevation taken through section line 55, FIG. 2, illustrating a continuous conductor positioned for use.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional end view taken through section line 6-6, FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional end view taken through section line 77, FIG. 1.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the tool for wrapping an individual conductor around a selected single terminal.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 illustrate the tool as used for wrapping a conductor around a sequence of spaced terminals.

FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 illustrate the removal of a conductor wrapped on a terminal by the use of a manual placement of the unwrapping means.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a small hand tool with a fixed shank for wrapping both a continuous conductor on a plurality of terminals and also a conductor on single terminals.

Referring to FIG. 1, a fluted handle 1 having a bore therethrough, preferably made from molded plastic material, with or without a metal tube secured in said bore. A chuck member 2 coaxially molded therein with a coaxial hole therethrough is provided with a transverse set screw 3. A tubular shank 4 is slidably retained through the chuck member and the bore in the handle and may be secured in each of a variety of axial positions by screw 3, indicated by dotted lines. The shank terminates in an offset guide head 57 An unwinding member 6 having a projection 7 parallel the axis of shank 4 is slidably retained on the shank 4 for axial frictional adjustment, as shown.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the coaxial bore 8 in the tubular shank is adapted to guide the rotation of the shank on a terminal, which will be hereinafter described. The offset portion 9 of the guide head 5 has a wrapping bore 10 parallel the shank bore 8 and offset a predetermined distance therefrom. An unwinding offset portion 11 also has a parallel bore 12 therethrough for receiving the projection 7 for unwinding wire wrapped on terminals, to be hereinafter described.

FIG. 3' shows the rear elevation of the handle 1 which shows the shank 4 and the bore 8' therethrough.

FIG. 4 shows the guide head 5 with the projection 7 of the unwinding member 6 retained in its idle position in the bore of the unwinding portion 11.

FIG. 4 also shows a slot 13 through the wall of the shank 4, as an exit for the conductor to be wound on a terminal, which will be hereinafter described.

FIG. 5 shows a wire conductor 14, to be wrapped on each of a sequence of spaced terminals, is shown slidably in the bore of shank 4 and projecting therefrom through slot 13 and positioned through bore 10 of guide head 5 with the forward end of the wire positioned for wrapping onto a terminal.

The cross sectional view in FIG. 6 shows guide head 5 with the bore 8 in the shank 4 and the offset portion 9 with a wire 14 therein and the projection of the unwinding portion 11, to be hereinafter described.

The cross sectional view, FIG. 7, illustrates the radial position of the slot 13 in the shank 4.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show three typical electric terminals 15 subject to wrapped wire conductor connections.

Referring to FIG. 8, a typical conductor 16 having insulation stripped therefrom is inserted into the outer end of the bore 8 of offset 9 and the desired terminal 15 engaged in the bore 8 of the shank 4. Then by the clockwise rotation of the shank 4 by the handle 1, the wire is tightly wound in close helical relation around the terminal 15 by rotating the handle 1, which results in a tight low resistance connection, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Thus any selected terminal may quickly and securely receive a desirable low resistance wire connection.

Referring to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, the steps required by the tool to Wrap a single conductor around a selected sequence of terminals is shown by first threading a bare conductor of predetermined length through the bore of the shank 4 in the tool and projecting outward from the slot 13 and extending along the outer side of the shank and through the bore in offset portion 9, as shown in FIG. 5. The end portion of the bore 8 in the shank 4 is placed over the terminal 15, shown in FIG. 10, and the handle rotated clockwise which will wrap the conductor in tight helical relation 17 around the terminal 15, as shown in FIG. 11. At this point, the shank of the tool is withdrawn from the first terminal and the wire 14 bridged, as shown in FIG. 12, to the second of the sequence of terminals to be connected in common and the tool applied in the same manner as applied on the first terminal and rotated to form a second wrapped connection. At the end of the desired number of terminals wrapped by conductor 14, the conductor is clipped or the first or last portion of the conductor connected to a termination, not shown.

Referring to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 and when a desired wrapped connection as shown in FIG. 13 is to be disconnected from a terminal, then the unwinding member 6 is manually moved toward the end of the shank with the projection 7 extending a short distance outward from bore 12 in the unwinding portion 11.

Then, referring to FIG. 13, the tool is rotated in a counterclockwise direction and the end of projection 7 will engage the end of the wire wrapped on the terminal, better shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 15 illustrates the helical wrap when completely loosened from the terminal 15 and readily removed therefrom.

It is apparent that the shank 4 may be shortened or lengthened to suit certain conditions by loosening or tightening screw 3 in the chuck member 2.

It is apparent that a conductor may be wrapped on a terminal by rotating the tool in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction which, in either case, will require reverse rotation when the tool is used for unwinding and disconnecting the conductor from the terminal, which is one of the several advantages of the construction of this tool.

Referring to FIG. 16, a simple smaller version of the tool shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated for use for assembly only in which a small handle 1a and shank 4a are nonadjustable and a single offset head 9a is provided at the end of the shank 4a having a parallel wire bore therethrough.

It is apparent that with this small version, normal wrapping of terminals, as previously described, may be formed and a limited number of terminals may be connected in common sequence by threading a relatively limited length of wire through the guide head 9a and along the side of the shank and handle for common connecting the limited number of terminals.

This invention also comprehends certain modifications in construction that come within the scope and teachings of the above specification.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A tool for winding a wire conductor on an electric terminal comprising a means forming an elongated handle with an axial bore therethrough,

a chuck means secured in one end portion of said handle having a bore therethrough coaxial with the said bore in said handle,

a tubular shank member with a bore of predetermined diameter therethrough slidably positioned in the bore of said chuck means and said handle,

said chuck means adapted to secure said shank member predetermined adjusted distances therefrom,

an electric terminal including an integral rectangular cross sectional winding projection,

a winding head of predetermined length secured to the end portion of said shank member and offset therefrom with a winding bore therethrough a predetermined distance from the axis of said shank bore and parallel therewith for guiding a wire therein whereby the wire when inserted into the outer end of said guide bore and the end portion of said shank bore positioned over a terminal and the tool is rotated the end portion of said wire will be tightly wound on said shank member when said tool is rotated about said axis.

2. The construction recited in claim 1 including an unwinding projection secured to said shank member adjacent said winding head having an unwinding bore therethrough of predetermined diameter parallel said axis,

an unwinding slider frictionally retained for reciprocation on said shank member having an integral projection normally retained in said unwinding bore when idle and projected a predetermined distance therefrom when said slider is moved to an unwind position whereby said projection will engage the end por tion of a wire wound on said terminal and unwind said wire sufficient to disengage same from said terminal when said shank bore is positioned over said terminal and said tool is rotated about its axis in a direction counter said winding rotation.

3. A tool for winding a wire conductor on an electric terminal comprising a means forming an elongated handle with an axial bore therethrough,

a tubular shank member with a bore of predetermined diameter secured through said bore in said handle means,

a winding head of predetermined length secured to the outer end portion of said shank member and offset a predetermined distance therefrom with a winding bore therethrough a predetermined distance from said axis of said shank bore and parallel therewith for guiding a wire therethrough,

a slot of predetermined length through the wall of said shank member corresponding with the side of said winding bore,

a wire conductor of predetermined length,

said wire fed through said winding bore through said slot and through the bore in said shank member and projecting from the rear of said handle,

a plurality of electric terminals with each one thereof including an integral rectangular cross sectional winding projection whereby the outer bore of said shank member is positioned over the first one of said terminals and the end portion of the wire projecting from said winding bore positioned against the first one of said terminal and the rotation of said handle will wind said wire on said first one of said terminals and permit the sequential removal and replacement of said tool on sequential like terminals for sequentially winding said wire thereon to provide a common connection to each of said terminals.

4. A tool for winding a wire conductor on one or more electric terminals comprising means forming an elongated handle having a cylindrical shank member extending from one end thereof with a coaxial terminal bore of predetermined diameter and depth in the outer end thereof,

a winding head of predetermined length secured on one side of the outer end portion of said shank member including a winding bore therethrough a predetermined distance from and parallel the axis of said terminal bore,

an electric terminal including an integrar cross sectional winding projection whereby the end portion of a wire conductor is inserted in the outer end of said Winding bore and the said terminal bore is positioned over a said terminal and the tool manually rotated to tightly wind said conductor around said terminal forming a connection thereto and whereby a wire of relatively said first terminal and permit the transfer of said winding bore to another said terminal and permit a sequential Winding of said wire thereon which operation may be repeated for a terminals corresponding with the length of said wire for connecting a plurality of terminals electrically common.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS short predetermined length is inserted in said wind- 10 ing bore from the handle end thereof to project from 3 019 517 2 19 2 Lovecky 20 H the outer end and said winding bore positioned over 3,37 ,90 4 19 Dorsey 29 2 3 H a said first terminal and the handle rotated a predetermined number of times to wind said wire on THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner 

